


Guardian Of My Dreams

by Harleyquilt



Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: F/M, Headcanon, Light Angst, light fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-20
Updated: 2019-07-20
Packaged: 2020-07-09 05:50:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19882660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Harleyquilt/pseuds/Harleyquilt
Summary: The memories of that night still burden Yona, no matter the time of day. Even so, she’s never alone when she wakes up. Not anymore.





	Guardian Of My Dreams

**Author's Note:**

> A small hakyona fic based on a headcanon of mine. I like hakyona. I like supportive hakyona. I like soft hakyona Nothing else to really say, I think. Hope you enjoy.

The night was still. Yona was alone and she wandered around the castle grounds. Neither guest or guard could be seen. The air was thick with humidity, the discomforting heat adding to the nervousness Yona already felt as she neared her father’s quarters. Her excitement, however, was enough to encourage her to keep going. No matter what she felt at this very moment, she was determined to tell her father that it was Soo-Won she wanted. She’d convince him to change his mind, somehow.

When she neared his room, she took a deep breath and she mentally planned out what it was she was going to say. With a smile, she opened the door. She was about to speak, but she instead paused at the sight of two dark silhouettes that stood before her. A shallow gasp. The sound of something spilling onto the ground. And, finally, a loud thud as the figure of her father fell to the ground. Blood poured out of the wound that cut through his chest. His face was deathly pale, his eyes rolled back. Yona’s eyes widened, her own complexion fading to a sickening white.

She knelt down, calling for her father, tears rolling down her cheeks. He remained silent and she called for him again, her hands clutching at his blood stained clothes. The image itself was almost too much to comprehend, so much so that she was certain that what she saw was nothing more than an illusion. However, with the sound of approaching footsteps, she slowly looked up to see her beloved Soo-Won. He stood with a blood stained sword and a haunting expression, one she had never seen from him before. His eyes were so cold. So dead. Her father’s blood was splattered across his clothes and face. This wasn’t Soo-Won. It couldn’t be, she thought. She shook her head, now weeping. Her pleads, however, seemed to no longer matter to him and he instead raised his sword, ready to cut her down.

“You will see you’re father soon.” He spoke, his voice as empty as his eyes. “Yo-”

“-na!” Yona gasped. Her eyes opened wide and she saw the faces of Yoon, Hak and the other dragons looking over her. They were all watching her with concern as she sat up and she rubbed her sore eyes. Her heart was racing and at first, she felt quite disorientated. She was in her tent, not the castle. Soo-Won wasn’t here. 

Right, it must have been a nightmare. One of many. 

“You gave us quite a fright, miss!” Zeno sat next to her, giving her a tight hug. “You were tossing and turning in your sleep, so we thought to wake you up.” 

“Ah, I see.” She sighed, rubbing her head. “I’m sorry everyone-”

“Don’t be sorry, princess!” Kija, with his tired eyes, insisted. 

“Nightmares are to be expected.” Jae-ha added with a smile. Shin-ah, all the while, handed Ao to her, and the small squirrel nudged Yona with her fluffy head. 

Yona felt tears once again fill her eyes, though this time, it was tears of overwhelming happiness. Her nightmarish memories often intruded into her mind unexpectedly and each and every time, she was left harrowed with immediate sensations of painful loneliness and heartbreak. Her feelings for Soo-Won have long since faded, a bitterness now left behind, but his betrayal, along with the death of her father, still stung like fresh wounds. She wanted to move on and not be held back by these tragic memories that lashed out against her, yet even now, months later, she was struck with the same pain she felt back on that night of her birthday. 

She looked up to see Hak standing just outside the tent. He saved her that day. Without him, she’d be dead alongside her father. Even so, he too suffered the tragedy of that night - that in itself shouldn’t be ignored. And by the look of his grim expression, she knew he understood what it was to suffer from such memories. 

“How do you feel?” Jae-ha asked, Yona now fully awake. “You look quite pale.”

“I’ll make some warm milk and honey.” Yoon declared and he quickly left the tent before she could protest. 

“Ah, well,” Yona let out a small laugh, “I guess I’m okay. It was just a bad dream.”

“Does the miss want to talk about it?” Zeno squeezed her tighter, his hug as warm and as comforting as his voice.

Does she want to talk about it? She wasn’t sure. What happened that night was already well-known by everyone here. Her father was murdered and her and Hak were forced to escape - what more is there to say? Perhaps that wasn’t the point, though. Still, at least at this moment of time, Yona saw no real point in indulging her own sorrows.

“I’m fine, I promise.” As she spoke, she noticed Hak grimace before he turned away. “Thank you for your concern. I didn’t think it’d wake you all up.”

The others remained silent for a moment. “Well,” Jea-ha smiled, “if it helps, I used to have a lot of nightmares after I escaped my village.” Yona and Kija turned their head to one side, clearly curious, Zeno smiling discreetly. “You see, I used to be chained in a little hut, a way to prevent me from escaping.”

“That’s terrible!” Both Yona and Kija said in unison, gasping in horror. Jae-ha chuckled and nodded at their shocked reactions.

“But I always tried to escape, breaking one chain after another. I’d always be caught, though. However, after a while-” He paused for a moment, looking between the dragons and then at Yoon, who entered the tent with Yona’s drink. “To put it simply,” he continued, “I escaped for good eventually. It was strange. The whole of Kouka was now free for me to play in, but I had no idea what to do. It was overwhelming. So overwhelming that I often suffered from nightmares of waking back up in that hut, my feet chained once again.” 

As he spoke, Ao offered him an acorn, which he politely declined. Shin-ah remained silent, though he too thought back on his own experiences in his village. He may not have suffered from the nightmares Jae-ha spoke of, yet he would often dream of his elder, Ao. Sometimes, when he would eventually wake up from these dreams, he’d find himself teary, unsure whether he was upset that Ao was long gone or if he was regretful that he couldn’t give Ao the freedom he wanted whilst he was still alive, even if he never admitted in wanting it himself. 

“Nightmares really are scary.” Yoon mumbled to himself. Yona nodded and she took a sip of the drink he made for her. It was delicious and already, she could feel a smile return to her face. “Moreso when it’s linked to bad experiences. I wish we could do more to help.”

“Really, you don’t have to worry.” Yona insisted with a wave of her hand. “Besides, this drink is enough to heal any wounds I may have.” Yoon blushed and offered a confident smile filled with pride. 

As the night continued, they talked about their past lives, both the good and bad moments they have experienced across the years. It was relaxing, in a way - Yona could find comfort in the fact that they have all struggled every now and again, reassuring her that perhaps one day, hopefully, she too can find peace in her life and her past, just like the others have. With time, she eventually drifted back to sleep, the presence of the others enough to take away any tension or fear that burdened her after the dream. 

A few nights later, she was left helpless in her own dream once again. This time, it wasn’t just Soo-Woon. Before he could strike her with his sword, Hak stepped forward. The walls crumbled away, as if the force of Soo-Woon’s blade destroyed all that was around them. Hak, however, blocked the attack with his glaive. His scowling face was shrouded with a fearsome and dark anger that consumed him whole. 

As Yona remained stunned on the ground, she noticed their lips moving. They were speaking, yet Yona couldn’t understand anything that was being said. They were nothing more than unpleasant sounds, like metal being dragged across stone. She tried to cover her ears and she shook her head, desperate to push away this sound that boomed inside her head. 

To her surprise, the noise abruptly came to an end and when she looked up, she found herself lost in the dark woods that stretched across the mountains. Hak, too, was here. Along with the continuous stench of blood. His body was slumped against a tree, his body covered in wounds. Blood seeped through his clothes and puddled onto the ground, Hak’s breathing coarse as he gave her a weak, wry smile. She ran to him, not knowing what it was she was supposed to do. How was she supposed to help? What was she to do? There was nothing here - no one to help them. She wanted to cry, but that wouldn’t solve anything. Not at all.

She couldn’t save anyone and it was all her fault.

Yona’s eyes opened slowly and what she saw now was the top of her tent. Yoon was asleep next to her, completely undisturbed. As she sat up slowly, careful not to wake him, her body felt incredibly heavy, as if she was being pulled down with a weight of sorts. It was clearly late into the night and she wasn’t entirely awake. She could just simply go back to sleep, yet she was somewhat disturbed by the dream she had just experienced. It wasn’t so bad that she wanted to wake up Yoon, but…

She decided that all she needed was some fresh air and so she crept out her tent, hoping the campfire wasn’t completely out yet. To her surprise, what she found instead was Hak, who was sat some distance away besides a great, big oak tree. Of course, she thought, it was his turn for watch duty tonight. He didn’t seem too surprised to see her. Maybe she wasn’t as quiet as she thought she was. She stood awkwardly for a moment, not knowing what to say.

“Another bad dream?” Hak’s voice was quiet, but not so much that she couldn’t hear him. She replied with a small nod and he sighed, moving himself so that he was closer to both the fire and her. He patted the log he sat on, telling her to take a seat next to him. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” He asked once she sat down. She thought for a moment and looked up to his face. His voice was as soft as his somewhat tired expression. In her dream, he was on the brink of death, his face contorting to the pain of all his wounds. The relief she felt - how could she even describe it? She was simply happy to see him, here with her at this very moment. If anything, the reality that was her nightmare made her all the more afraid of losing him. 

To say such things, though, was something that also frightened her. After all, the last thing she wanted to do was jinx everything. No, she was happy just to be by his side. It was enough to remind her that her dreams were not reality, regardless of how real they were to her. 

She shook her head eventually and she leaned her head against Hak’s arm. His body remained still and he frowned, not knowing how to react. He looked at her, then at the fire, then back at her. Some colour returned to her face, but she still looked exhausted. She blinked slowly, a slight pout to her lips and her brows somewhat furrowed. She said she didn’t want to talk about it, despite looking so displeased. It was possible that he simply wasn’t that approachable for such things. It wouldn’t be so surprising; last time she woke from a nightmare, he couldn’t help at all. He could only watch from afar, her screams that called for him ringing through his ears. He wasn’t as comforting as Zeno, or as sympathetic as Kija. He wasn’t as practical as Yoon or Shin-ah, or as good at talking as Jae-ha. He was her bodyguard. But he couldn’t do anything for her in the end - nothing that mattered. 

“I…” Yona began, her voice small and quiet. It was enough to pull back Hak’s attention. “I’m glad you’re here with me, Hak.” His stomach turned at the sound of her words, his brows raised. She sat up and panicked for a moment. “I-I mean, I’m happy that everyone is here. That wasn’t to suggest that I don’t appreciate the others, it’s just…” She seemed to calm down and Hak remained silent. Silent and surprised. “You saved my life that night on my birthday, I never thanked you for that. And since then, you have nearly lost your life several times protecting me. S-So, I j-just wanted you to know that- that I really am happy that you’re here.”

Her cheeks were smeared with a bright red blush, her hands clumsily clutching at her skirt. Even so, her words were clear and her eyes remained on his. She still looked incredibly tired, yet she sat up tall and told him the words that he didn’t deserve. Again and again, she amazed him. She took his breath away, over and over, always surprising him in a way he couldn’t describe with words. She burned as brightly as the campfire, her eyes flickering with so much beauty and courage. No matter how worthless he felt, he remained forever grateful that someone as dazzling as the princess continued to show her remarkable kindness to him.

He broke into a smile and without saying a word, he pulled her closer to him, her body leaned against him once again. “Don’t get all mushy on me. You’ll make me cry.” 

“When do you ever cry?” Yona yawned. His body was surprisingly warm, she thought as she curled up next to him. “Hak,” she yawned again, “do you ever get bad dreams?”

Her eyes were closed and her breathing slowed. She was so small against him. “Sometimes.”

She clutched his sleeve. “You should…” Her voice faded off. “You should say something…then…” 

He never responded and after a while, her grip loosened, her expression softening. With a small smile, he carefully picked her up, careful not to wake her up again. She looked so peaceful in his arms with her head rested against his shoulder. After tucking her in, he knelt beside her and he brushed away the strands from her face. To see her so peaceful and calm - it was enough to soothe his own guilty thoughts. After all, all he ever asked for was her happiness.

“I’ll protect you, princess. From anyone and anything. I’ll scare away any ghosts that haunt your dreams.” Her face scrunched up for a moment and she sighed his name. He leaned down and kissed her cheek. It wasn’t good to hear her call for him like that; it only made him all the more greedy. Sighing, he stood, ready to return to watch duty. “Always.”


End file.
